Split Tech City is a community composed of well-intentioned and progressive companies, startups, associations, initiatives, institutions and individuals. Together we encourage and develop the IT sector of Split and the surrounding region.
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The sixth edition of the Split Tech City Festival is behind us, and although the impressions are still settling, we’re ready to draw a line — and to thank everyone who helped us organize the most attended edition yet.
On Friday, September 4th, more than 800 visitors filled the Žnjan Amphitheatre and demonstrated something we repeat every year but never tire of: Split’s tech community is alive, curious, and hungry for change.
After five years at Ljetno Kino Bačvice (Bačvice Summer Cinema), we took a big step and moved the festival to the Žnjan Amphitheatre. A new stage also meant new challenges. But when we saw the full rows and felt the atmosphere, we knew it was the right decision at this moment.
The festival program kicked off with two panels: the DUMP panel “Is there work if you want to work?!” opened a conversation about the state of the job market for young people in tech, followed immediately by the EM Meetup “AI in the Engineering Team”, which offered a practical look at what AI actually looks like in the day-to-day work of development teams.
After the panels, attendees were welcomed by Toni Trivković, co-founder of the Split Tech City association, who presented the story of the festival as well as the year-round work of the association — from its first steps to a community that now brings together around seventy members. Visitors were also greeted by the Mayor of Split, Tomislav Šuta, confirming the City of Split’s support for the development of the tech community.
The evening before, we received an interesting email. Although it was “five to twelve,” we made sure to present the young people from the Innovatic association with their project Smart Brush at the opening — because if we’re talking about technology and the future, we need to showcase the people who are already building that future.
The official part of the program began with keynotes and panels alternating throughout the evening. The central theme was change: adaptation, growth, and turning challenges into opportunities.
Nikola Vrdoljak opened the keynote segment with the talk “Don’t follow your passion, or why the most common career advice might be the worst.”
Anton Gizdić spoke about “Modern verbal sales — how to succeed in an era of distrust?” — concrete, practical, and applicable starting tomorrow.
This was followed by the IAB Croatia panel “Marketing from 2036”: a look ten years ahead with industry leaders Dunja Ballon, Davor Bruket, and Ivana Prakljačić. The audience was particularly impressed by the somewhat different panel concept these creatives devised, commenting on trends through a visual game.
Velimir Srića takes the unofficial title of this year’s favorite speaker. “What did the boiled frog, five monkeys, and Einstein know about change that we don’t?” was a talk that combines humor, science, and business wisdom in a way only someone with vast academic, business, and life experience can. The Split audience was thrilled!
The UNIT Croatia panel “Hype Cycle Live” broke down what’s hype, what endures, and what quietly changed the game while no one was watching.
Ivana Artić brought a concrete insight with her talk: “What AI Actually Changed: Who Stays, Who Goes, and How Those Calls Get Made.” Without philosophizing about the future of work, Ivana talked about what happens when AI stops being a pilot project — who adapts, who doesn’t, and how those tough conversations actually happen.
Jasmin Alić, the world’s #1 LinkedIn expert four years running, closed the program with “Real talk: LinkedIn, Thought Leadership, Gurus… Ask anything!” We couldn’t have imagined a better person for trying out an interactive format where the audience asks whatever they want and the speaker answers in real time.
From what actually works on LinkedIn to how to tell real experts from those who’ve simply learned to play the algorithm (and a plea for him to come back on stage :), Jasmin was ready to answer everything.
This year we also had new food and drink partners: a festival promo menu thanks to the team from Palma Beach Club. Listening about the future of AI in that kind of atmosphere with great food, and the entrance is free… Tell us where else you can find that — we’ll wait.
After the last talk came the prizes. By scanning their tickets before 9:25 PM, attendees were automatically entered into the raffle, and there was no shortage of prizes: thanks to Optika Gvozdanović, SpeedFit, the Innovate Conference (Split Technology Park), the SHIFT Conference in collaboration with the Neutroni association, and Lumer for merch vouchers.
Thanks to Lumer, every visitor also received a festival tote bag as a souvenir.
Our team is small but tight-knit. On the front line are Toni, Antonio, and Lucija, but none of it would be possible without our dedicated volunteers, who were a real little army this year.
Events like these don’t happen on their own. It takes more people who recognize the vision and support the story.
Thank you to our strategic partners: Agilo, ICE Rebus, and the City of Split. Thank you to all the sponsors and partners who made this free and accessible to everyone: Oasis MEU, Smartnet, TravelSoft, Sparky, NetHub, HAMAG-BICRO, Aspira, Prostoria, Lumer, RTV Produkcija, Palma Beach Club, X/CAPE, Split Technology Park, the University of Split, and Nethub.
Thank you to every speaker and panelist — you came, you gave your time, knowledge, and energy. It showed. Thank you to our volunteer team who kept everything under control the whole time: from scanning tickets to making sure no one was left without information. You are the legends of every festival, and now you have the T-shirt to prove it.
And thank you to you, dear visitors — each of the 800+ of you who came, sat down, listened, asked questions, stayed for the afterparty, and showed that this community is not just a LinkedIn post. It’s real.
Six editions, a new location, and record attendance. We don’t yet know where the seventh Split Tech City Festival will be held — the Žnjan Amphitheatre was our home this year, and we’ll see about next year.
But what we do know is this: we listen to your feedback and raise the bar every year. The energy stays the same, because the topic of this tech and entrepreneurship festival is technology, but at the center is the human.
See you! 💙
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